It’s no secret that the evolution of the lottery market has developed at a rapid pace over the last few years, particularly with the rise of online lottery betting operators.
But how has the discipline evolved to facilitate innovation, player protection and social responsibility?
We caught up with Elicia Bravo Garcia, Chairman of eLBA and Chief Strategy Officer at Lottoland to hear her inside perspective.
How has responsible gaming in the online lottery sector evolved to ensure enhanced player protection? Has it developed over the last few months in response to the lockdown?
“Responsible gaming is evolving continuously and rightly so given the ever changing digital world we live in.
Regulators are always reviewing and enhancing player protection to ensure we are all operating in the safest environments possible for our players – this includes stricter controls and an increased focus on affordability. Players need to be more aware of measures that are in place to protect them such as deposit limits, reality checks, timeouts, and self-exclusion.
During lockdown, Lottoland one of eLBA’s members, produced a responsible gaming video to help educate and increase awareness of these measures – You’re in safe hands with Lottoland
Responsible gaming is at the heart of all of our members businesses and we all adhere to the rules and regulations that govern us. “
What new innovations are futureproofing the online lottery sector and what impact will these have on the market?
“Innovation is key in the lottery sector no matter if you are online or the state operator. You need to be consistently innovating and improving your offer to ensure your customers not only have a great deal of choice, but also a better user experience in a safe secure environment.
Innovation is also key to grow the market and bring new and lapsed players in. We strongly believe we are growing this market by bringing a wide range of choice to players.
Most recently Lottoland launch Lotto x5 in the UK market. The brand new UK lotto betting game offers five chances to win £1 million for £1. Lottoland launched the game with the tag line – ‘Can your lotto do that? Lottoland can!’
How is the age demographic of online lottery evolving? Are we seeing a shift towards engagement from a younger generation?
“Online lottery operators, such as the members of eLBA, are able to offer their customers much more choice – Instant Win Games, Bingo, Livedealer, Casino, Poker and obviously a large choice of lotteries from across the world.
These products attract a wide range of players from all demographics, but noticeably the younger generation which are often seen as the harder to reach from your state operators.
We believe this is not only down to our ability to cross-sell products, but also due to the digital world we are living in and people wanting everything readily available at their finger-tips. “
What are some of the ways online lotteries are giving back to the local communities?
“All eLBA members with a UK license donate to RG charities yearly as part of their RET contributions.
This financial contribution is to organisations which deliver or support research into the prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms, harm prevention approaches and treatment for those harmed by gambling.
Additionally, members also sponsor events and problem gambling awareness workshops across the numerous countries that they operate.
LottoGo proudly supports the Children’s Centre Isle of Man, who develops, manages and pioneers a variety of community initiatives and services aimed at enabling children, young people, and families to realise their full potential, Motiv8 – GamCare Isle of Man and have also just agreed to be the main supporter of the Manx Operatic Society.
All staff at LottoGo are given 2 paid company charity days per year to help out and support local charities.
Earlier this year Lottoland relaunched the Lottoland Foundation – this is Lottoland’s way of giving something back to people, animals and the environment.
One of their current projects is to support the maritime waste collection charity ‘One Earth – Once Ocean’.
In the UK Lottoland also launched two charity driven products. The Win Win Charity Lotto – a Lottoland first, where 20p of every pound bet is donated to four charities – The British Red Cross, Hospice UK, Keep Britain Tidy and The Marine Conservation Society.
The second product is a digital British Red Cross scratch card where again 20p of every pound bet goes directly to the British Red Cross. “
Editor’s note: From speaking with Elicia, it’s clear that innovation is an important and core area that’s been driving growth in the online lottery market.
Whether it’s supporting local charities, offering players the tools to stay safe or simply enhancing the product offering – eLBA is providing the online lottery market a valuable service.
